Effects of Dry Winter Air and Indoor Heating on our Respiratory Health

Table Of Content

• Dry Hats & Mittens on a Radiator
• Navigating the Health Impacts of Dry Air and Low Humidity
• Is Chlorine In Our Tap Water Safe? Here’s What Studies Say About Health Risks
• Ultrasonic vs. Evaporative Humidifier: Which is Best for Your Home?
• Dry and aggravated mouth or nasal passages
• Layer on Extra Clothes
• Keep your home as dust-free as possible.

We are told to avoid doing many of these things to prevent rooms from becoming too humid, but our aim is to increase humidity. According to researchers, dry indoor air, especially air-conditioned environments, can lead to rough, dry skin. Just make sure that you regularly maintain the appliance so you will not suffer from other breathing difficulties.

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Dry Hats & Mittens on a Radiator

We’ve compiled a guideline for how to tell if the air is dry in your house. During and/or after showering and bathing, use your bathroom fan, or even better, a room fan to push the damp air out of the bathroom. Open the windows to allow warm air in through the curtain filters.

Navigating the Health Impacts of Dry Air and Low Humidity

This electrical charge builds up when there’s a lack of moisture to conduct and neutralize static buildup. You may encounter dehydration when exposed to air that is too dry in your house. We lose water as we breathe and sweat; however, in low-humidity environments, dry air can increase the loss of body water, leading to dehydration.

Is Chlorine In Our Tap Water Safe? Here’s What Studies Say About Health Risks

It can cause dehydration of people and plants, chapped lips, and may also lead to respiratory and allergic conditions. Alternatively, a humidifier can do the same job while being easy to place and requiring no installation. Persistent dry air in your home doesn’t just affect comfort—it can significantly impact respiratory health.

Keep in mind that the humidity in a home can be high enough to encourage the growth of certain pests and mold. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, dust mites, a common allergen, thrive in high humidity levels, between 70 and 80 percent. Take advantage of an unseasonably warm winter day to open the windows, if only for a brief time.

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Reduced humidity in the winter is often a problem that leads to a good deal of frustration as it affects the skin. Many people suffer from dry and itchy skin as well as problems such as eczema. If you have this type of issue now, you may want to check the humidity level in your house.

When the air becomes drier than that, it raises the risk of several types of health issues. People who snore do so because their lungs and nasal passages do not contain adequate moisture. If you want to have better relations with your spouse, you should make it a priority to add a humidifier to your home.

Keep your home as dust-free as possible.

You may notice fracturing or peeling of the walls, creaky or rickety floors, or warping or cracking of your wooden furniture. If the air is too dry in your house, it can cause your skin to feel dry and may cause a reaction. Purchase an inexpensive humidity gauge (hygrometer) at the hardware or home store. With this device you will know exactly what the humidity levels in your home’s rooms are. Flowers smell nice, look great, and the water aids the relative humidity.

If you'd like to avoid the misery, inconvenience and damage of dry air, there are two types of whole-home humidifiers available to you. And unlike portable humidifiers that only restore moisture in one room, whole-home humidifiers help preserve comfort and healthier air in every room. Placing small bowls of water on top of heating floor grates can help add some extra humidity back into the air during the winter months. Cooking in the oven tends to dry out the air, while cooking on the stovetop does the opposite. Whatever you’re making for dinner tonight, make it on the stovetop rather than in the oven.

Depending on how hot your radiators get, take care to use a cloth or kitchen mitt when you lift the bowls. If the heat issues from air vents in your home, you can position a small bowl of water near the vents to blow in additional moisture. This can turn into a real health issue if an infectious agent from the nose or mouth is transferred into the crack.

If you notice any of the symptoms listed above, investing in an air humidifier will help to ease and even eliminate the effects. During the wintertime, moisturizing lotions, sprays, and balms are always a good way to lubricate your skin, sinuses, and lips and avoid cracking. Place pots, kettles, pans or other vessels with water on heating ducts, hot air registers, and or radiators. The water evaporates into the air thus helping fix dry air.

Instead of cranking up your thermostat, try putting on an extra layer of clothes to deal with frigid temperatures. You will feel warm and cozy without the heating system sucking moisture from your home. Drink lukewarm water and take hot beverages such as green tea, cinnamon, and hot chocolates. They will not only warm you up but also replenish the lost moisture. You can also consume fluid-filled fruits such as oranges and strawberries to increase your water intake. Schedule a comprehensive home performance test with us and explore customized solutions that breathe life back into your living spaces.

Particularly if it’s rained recently, the fresh air will bring some humidity into your home. Because dry air can exacerbate sinus issues, it’s a good idea to take other sinus-problem-causing issues off the table. Dust surfaces at least once a week, and vacuum more frequently than you would at other times of year. Doing so goes a long way toward minimizing allergens, so you can breathe easy.

Cold air coming from cracks and gaps will affect the cozy environment you have created inside, and you will be forced to crank up your heating. This will result in more dry air circulating in your home. To fix this, you should find the air leaks in areas such as doors, windows, exterior walls, and attic and seal them using weatherstripping and caulking. Winter brings with it a picturesque landscape with blankets of white snow and a frosty chill in the air. When the temperature takes a dip during wintertime, so do the humidity levels.